Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (First volume)

SICKNESS AT CAEN
317
The 12th of this moneth novr did a regiment of foot souldiers
come to Caen to compell the ptestants to renounce, and
befor the first of January all the toun who had not made yre
escape had signed, as they call it, that is, renounced yre religion,
save about fourteen att most, counting men, women, and
maids; but aftarwards the greatest part of all these, so soon as
they had putt there affairs to anny order, fled out of the
kingdom, and yre familys.1 Caen is a very pretty place,
abounding with all things, and formerly much frequented by
strangers.
This year the very first day of Aprile I fell sicke of ane
tertian ague, but it beganne with a hot malignant feavar;
haveing lett blood two several times, and taken the Jesuits
powder2 praepared in ane infusion, the ague seemed to be
driven away, and wholly left me 20th ditto; but of a sudden,
may 4th, by occassion of a purge I tooke, I had relapse, and
aftar that another till aftar much sore handleing it pleased god
to direct on doctor powree physitian of Eouen to praescrive
me such remedyes as in and did pfectly cure me ; it was about
the beginning of July y1 I was well.
The first of August we came from Caen, haveing hired the
whole stage coach to ourselfs for 56 livars, and a 100lb of
bagadge into the bargain, and arrived safe at Rouan Aug. 3d,
where this time we lodged in the house of monsr Ernault, a
1 This was in consequence of the celebrated Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
by Louis xiv., which took place three weeks before, on the 22d of October. A
copy of ‘ The form of the Abjuration of the Protestant religion, and confession
of the Romish,’ imposed upon the French Protestants by this Act, taken from
the original in the hands of Bonaventure Le Brun, notary public, of the neigh¬
bouring city of Rouen, is given by Wodrow in his History, vol. iv. p. 352.
2 The bark of the Chinchona tree, originally a native of South America, from
which our familiar medicine quinine is now obtained. It was first imported
into Europe in 1639 by the Countess of Chinchon, the wife of the viceroy of
Peru, who had been cured through it of obstinate intermittent fever. The
Jesuit missionaries afterwards carried it to Rome, and distributed it through
their several stations, from which it acquired the name of Jesuits' Bark and
Pulvis patrum. On this account probably it was at first repudiated by Protestant
physicians. Falling into practical disuse in Europe, its virtues were again
brought into prominence by Robert Talbot, an English apothecary, who, in
1678, was knighted and appointed physician in ordinary to Charles 11. whom he
cured the following year of a tertian fever by means of it.
1685.
France.
1686.
Apr.
July.
Aug.